Hot Issues

The information that appears here represents our current hot topic, or issue. These subjects have been carefully researched, and the information contained herein has been documented. Most of the topics have been featured in our community awareness campaign(s). We invite you to read and respond.

Growing Smarter

Local dividends are the direct result of the dollars that remain within a community as a consequence of commerce. Mostly these dollars are retained by the community via taxes as well as in payroll dollars. Should the owners of the entity also dwell in the community, then considerably larger dividends are retained by the community. The Local Government Commission estimates that foreign-owned businesses return only 6-16% of their revenues to the communities they reside in, while locally owned businesses return up to 600% Local entrepreneurs nourish the community, link commerce to place, and minimize the leakage of money from the local economy. The more a community encourages the "respending" of a dollar within the community, the more economically sustainable that community becomes, without major growth....but with appropriate development. Gowth is a term that refers to quantity, and development is a term that refers to quality. (http://www.lgc.org/economic/localecon. html)

Respond here..

Why other sectors besides the addition ot more retail are good for the Cape's economy:
The sustainable wage for a household on Cape Cod is $53,500. Currently there is approximately a $12,000 "earnings gap" per household employed in lower than average wage paying jobs.

Over 30% of the population of the Cape is employed in retail sector jobs, which typically pay less than other sectors. "When comparing the percentage of people employed within the retail sector, with the % of payroll dollars paid within that sector, retail falls about 10% short between the percent it employed to the total percentage of payroll it paid." Actual percentages read as follows: % of total employment = 31%. % of total payroll= 21% (Sustainability Indicators Report, 1999)

In a sustainable community, the amount of income required to meet basic needs should not exceed the average monthly or minimum hourly wages. By encouraging the development of alternative sectors of the "new economy', liveable wages---those that meet the basic costs of living should result.

Respond here..

The Cape is Overstored.
Nationally, there is approximately 10-20 square foot of retail selling space per eligible consumer. On Cape Cod, there is about 10 times that amount of space per person. The Smart Planning and Growth Coalition is actively engaged in pursuing the concept of refilling exisiting store space and blocking the addition of new inventory in this category.


Shopping Centers and Big Box Retail Negatively Impact the Town of
Barnstable:
In a recently commissioned study of net revenues and net deficits based on Land Use for non-residential uses, the results show that the town gains $326 per $1,000 square feet for Specialty Retail stores, but loses $314 per 1,000 square feet per shopping center, $468 per 1,000 square feet per Box Store, $1,100 per 1,000 square feet per restaurant, and nets a deficit of $5,168 per 1,000 square feet per fast food restaurant. These numbers are net deficits after taxes. The taxes paid by the centers and box stores do not cover their impact on the community. These uses of land do not have positive impacts on the town's revenue stream. SP&GC is eagerly pursuing this concept as an educational component for the town, and is looking to generate similar information for all other towns on Cape Cod, and examine regional implications. (Town of Barnstable: Fiscal Impact Study of Non-Residential Land Use Prototype Summary, July 2002)

Respond here..